Monthly Archives: May 2014

If you’re aiming to buy or sell a single-family home in San Francisco, it’s important to take note of the selling patterns in the city’s various neighborhoods. You’ve probably read my blog post from earlier this week on the hottest condo markets, but when it comes to overbidding on houses, the landscape looks slightly different.

The neighborhoods where buyers are overbidding most intensely are varied, and there are many. Continue Reading

One of the keys to success in the current San Francisco market is knowing which neighborhoods are the most competitive. Armed with that intel, you can more easily gauge how much to offer on a property, or what list price will work to your advantage.

As many of my regular readers know, I’ve been running a feature highlighting extreme overbidding for several months, regularly inducting new members into the SF Overbidders Club. The reality is that we have many neighborhoods in San Francisco that are showing double-digit overbid percentages, and it’s important to know what the selling patterns are when you’re determining values.

When it comes to the San Francisco market, these patterns can change pretty quickly. My sales data is based on reported MLS sales in the time period April 1 – May 12, 2014, so it’s the most current info available. Continue Reading

The new Zephyr Market Tracker explores the southeast neighborhood of Portola, checks in on whether staging makes a difference in the current market and gives you the lowdown on the most recent citywide sales.

And of course, you’ll get the market overview for single-family homes, condos and two- to four-unit buildings.

Many contractors and small-scale developers who snapped up properties with their cash in the last two years in San Francisco have completed high-end renovations and are now listing those homes for sale. They were able to buy at a time when the market wasn’t quite as hot as it is right now. And we all know that the successful flip largely depends on timing. Continue Reading

You start your home search with a parking space as part of your criteria. And then you see the perfect condo, but it has what’s defined as “leased parking.” What exactly are the ramifications for this?

The SF Realtor Association recently changed the data fields in the MLS to include leased parking and its related details in a given listing. Previously, you either had some type of deeded parking, or not. Some agents indicated “1L” in the data field, which resulted in listings showing a parking space that technically wasn’t going to be sold with the unit. So the new leased parking fields are a good thing, in my opinion.

The main distinction to make with respect to parking is that a space is included with the purchase, or it’s not. There are also variations on parking that comes with a unit, such as deeded, assigned, tandem or independent style. Continue Reading

The vacant two-unit building is one of the holy grails of San Francisco real estate. Two different owners can partner and pursue condo conversion, or a buyer looking to live in one unit and rent out the other can also benefit.

There are three such properties on the market right now, in transit-rich locations with plenty of restaurants, cafes and retail in walking distance. Let’s take a look at what’s out there. Continue Reading

The latest Zephyr Market Tracker is showing property prices up around 8% across the board over the past six months. (In most neighborhoods, though, the increase from 2013 to 2014 is much higher.)

We also take a look at Lumina, the upcoming 655-unit condo development at 201 Folsom that’s best known as phase 2 of the Infinity. Plus, a close-up on Bernal Heights and some cool renovations happening there. And let’s not forget the annual Decorator Showcase that will be held in a 9,000-square foot mansion on Jackson Street.

The newly renovated “White House” at 235 28th Street is right in line with one of the two design trends that have swept Noe Valley over the past few years—a completely renovated, whitewashed Victorian that looks nothing like a Victorian inside. You could be in SoMa based on the finishes and lack of period detail. Continue Reading

My new listing at 2442 15th Street in desirable Corona Heights is in an awesome location—and, it’s a lovely condo, to boot.

Seriously, not only can you walk out the door and on to a quaint, tree-lined street, but you also have immediate access to Corona Heights Park, tennis courts across the street and a short walk downhill to Duboce Triangle and the Castro. That means you can easily catch Muni to downtown, tech shuttles to the South Bay, and be inside cafes, restaurants and shops in minutes. Continue Reading